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The physical educator has an enormous responsibility and
privilege when working with learners with Asperger syndrome. While some
learners with AS may be clumsy, most are able to acquire the motor skills
necessary to be successful in physical education.
Their unique personalities and view of the world make it
critical, however, for the physical educator to set a tone in the gymnasium and
the locker room that reinforces individual strengths and capabilities and
minimizes individual differences.
Many learners with AS are very successful in elementary school
physical education programs, yet begin to struggle, desperately, in the
middle/junior high school as social expectations change.
Some specific strategies for the physical educator are shared in
this article.
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Recommended Resources re:
Asperger Syndrome
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The BEST resource for the Asperger Syndrome is:
"The OASIS Guide to Asperger Syndrome"
by Patty Romanowski Bashe and Barbara L. Kirby
This book and others recommended can be ordered from the OASIS
web site and a portion of the sales are used to support Asperger research.
Another wonderful web site for Asperger Syndrome is hosted by Dr.
Tony Attwood, one of the foremost authorities on Aspgerger Syndrome in the
world.
Sally Bloch-Rosen,
Ph.D. has a web site hosted by OASIS with valuable information for
professionals.
A clever and helpful site is "Oops...Wrong
Planet Syndrome".
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If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please email one of the following Adapted PE Section Editors:
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Help to support quality physical education and health education by contributing to this site.
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| Strategies
for the Physical Educator |
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There are some specific strategies the Physical Educator can
use to help the learner with Asperger Syndrome be more successful in the
physical education program:
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Emphasize individual and self-testing activities and avoid
"team sports" whenever possible.
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At the middle and junior high school level, reinforce
participation in activities like stationary bicycling, walking with a peer
who is willing to listen, swimming, roller blading, and weight lifting.
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Capitalize on their often incredible verbal strengths by
allowing them to share information with the class.
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Help them develop an interest in a particular activity,
hopefully one the learner can use throughout the lifespan, by sharing
videotapes and other information.
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Engage the student by involving those with mathematical
skills to help compute distances run, weight lifted, etc.
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Reinforce other students who are willing to listen and
engage with the learner.
For more information about Physical Education for individuals
with Asperger Syndrome, check out the Texas Woman's
University Project INSPIRE web site re: physical
education and aquatics.
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It is easier to build a child . . . than
repair an adult!
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Two of the finest professionals in Adapted Physical Eduation, Dr. Louis Bowers and Dr. Stephen Klesius of the University of South Florida have produced the
Physical
Activity For All : Professional Enhancement Program Digital Video Disc
with a grant from the U.S. Department of Special Education. The digital video disc is designed to provide
information for teachers of Physical Education in regard to providing a Physical
Education program for all
students pre-school through twelfth grades, especially students with disabilities. The disc can be used for
individual self paced learning or to make presentations for in-service
education.
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THE Asperger Web Site on the WWW is the OASIS
site developed by Barb Kirby.
What is Asperger Syndrome? An excerpt from the OASIS
web site by Barb Kirby
Asperger Syndrome or (Asperger's Disorder) is a neurobiological disorder named for a Viennese
physician, Hans Asperger, who in 1944 published a paper which described a pattern of behaviors
in several young boys who had normal intelligence and language development, but who also
exhibited autistic-like behaviors and marked deficiencies in social and communication skills.
...Only in the past few years has AS been recognized by
professionals and parents.
Individuals with AS can exhibit a variety of characteristics and the disorder can range from mild
to severe. Persons with AS show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with
transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be
preoccupied with a particular subject of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading
nonverbal cues (body language) and very often the individual with AS has difficulty determining
proper body space. Often overly sensitive to sounds, tastes, smells, and sights, the person with
AS may prefer soft clothing, certain foods, and be bothered by sounds or lights no one else
seems to hear or see. It's important to remember that the person with AS perceives the world
very differently. Therefore, many behaviors that seem odd or unusual are due to those
neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behavior, and most
certainly not the result of "improper parenting".
By definition, those with AS have a normal IQ and many individuals (although not all), exhibit
exceptional skill or talent in a specific area. Because of their high degree of functionality and
their naiveté, those with AS are often viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims
of teasing and bullying.
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Transition: moving between one activity to the next
Physical educators are learning more and more about inclusion, but one area that is often forgotten is how to transition between one activity to the next within each class. Some ideas that have been provided by those working out in the field are:
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